Thread: What to do for a short class/demonstration?

I work in a Radiation Therapy department at a hospital, and we're having a Cancer Survivor's Day celebration. It's going to be a big shindig with a lot of stuff going on (DJ, door prizes, raffles, food, freebies, local celebrity guests, etc.), and since all us staff members have to volunteer to help out with it somehow, the organizers asked me if I'd be up for doing a little bellydance demonstration. I don't have any aspirations to be a teacher, but if I can share some lighthearted fun with my patients and their kids, I'm all for it!

Since this is for such a good cause, I want to do a good job, and I'd appreciate it so much if you ladies could please give me your advice on what would be some suitable movements to present during a short 10 minute "follow the bouncing butt" kind of thing. I'm not sure what kinds of things would be fun for people to try, without being too difficult. Hip slides, head slides, hip twists...what else? I'd appreciate your input so much!

You could try adding hip circles and rib circles to your list of easy to explain moves for them to try. We use those all the time for quicky demos. They are usually well liked.
Good Luck! The event sounds like it will be fun!

I find that beginners love to shimmy, even if they can't sustain it very long. Snake arms are usually hard for them, but in the right, supportive environment they sure love to try & laugh at themselves.

When I teach a short demo class, I usually teach a couple of moves that make up an intro choreography so we can put it together to music at the end of the class. I have one that's three big hip bumps (closing the car door) then three lifts and a pose....hold four dramatic counts.... draw the upheld arm down & out (sexy sexy sexy, if you're not feeling sexy you can substitute smoldering anger, looks the same) then 16 counts of snake arms.

That moment when we've learned the simple combos & then do it to music & they see how it fits usually evokes laughter or spontaneous applause.